Expert: C.L. Fornari - 12/16/2008

Question
Lots of lovely moonflower bushes would solve one of the problems in our front yard. I see seeds being sold on eBay, but most of them were harvested in 2007. Are they likely to germinate in 2009?
Thank you for your help!
Sara


Answer
Sara,
Usually seeds will germinate if they are older but you'll get fewer that sprout. How the seeds were kept until now will also have an effect...if they were in a cool place and in a jar or plastic carton you'll get better germination. But if they were in a paper that didn't hold in the moisture, and/or were in a warm or hot place you'll have fewer that sprout or maybe none at all.

These seeds sprout best when only covered by a thin amount of soil so some light reaches them, and when they are kept moist but not soaking wet.

You can buy Datura from established seed catalogs such as Thompson and Morgan or Chilterns Seeds - if I were you, I'd go that route.  Be aware that this plant is poisonous... kids die or are sickened all the time because they think that this plant will get them high.

all the best,
C.L.